September 30, 2008	Tuesday	Ramazan 29, 2008

KABUL, Sept 29: Some 20,000 people from Bajaur have fled to Afghanistan because of intense fighting between security forces and militants, the United Nations said on Monday.

“More than 3,900 families, or around 20,000 individuals, have fled fighting in Bajaur... into Kunar province,” said the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Afghanistan.

“In the past two weeks, over 600 Pakistani families have fled into Afghanistan,” it said.Around 9,000 soldiers are deployed in Bajaur and up to 1,000 militants have been killed in clashes this month, according to the Pakistan army.

Several hundred thousand people have fled their homes because of fighting, seeking refuge in other parts of the country or in Afghanistan.

“They have mainly been provided accommodation by relatives and friends,” UNHCR spokesman Nadir Farhad told reporters.

But some 200 families were living without shelter, he said.

He said the UNHCR had been coordinating aid efforts and hoped the refugees would be able to return soon but said it was prepared for the winter.

“It’s very difficult to predict the security situation on the other side of the border but what we hope is that the security gets better and people will be able to go back,” Mr Farhad said. “But if it continues, we will definitely provide them with... assistance... so that we can get them through the winter months.”

Around 70 per cent of the families were Pakistani and the remainder Afghan, he said.

This is the biggest influx of refugees from Pakistan into Afghanistan.—Reuters